i just want to echo what ladylavender said...and add that some crates actually come with extra panels you can insert to shorten the length of the crate. i think it is recommended that you never leave your dog crated more than 4 hours (less if he/she is really young) during the day. for the first 2 months after i got wicket, i would get up in the middle of the night to let him go to the bathroom. as he has grown, he has gained more bladder control and usually sleeps through the whole night without having to go. but, as i said before, sometimes he does wake up and lets me know he needs to go by making little whining sounds. i always let him out right away. it may take a little time since bella is used to having the pee pads in the crate, but take them out and in time she will get the hang of it. best of luck!
